Is Republican John McCain's online "official campaign store" being run surreptitiously by a company that has a long track record of helping Democrats win?
It certainly appears so.
Among the many beneficiaries of the political fortunes of Barack Obama has been a relatively small political merchandising operation in Greenville, Ohio, located not far from Dayton. Tigereye Design was designated in February 2007 as the official designer and manufacturer of political buttons, t-shirts, caps, bumper stickers, and other items for the Obama campaign. Tigereye had eighteen employees at the time, but quickly hired an additional 30 workers to pack and ship merchandise sought by rabid fans caught up in the rising tide of Obamania. Soon after the first of the year the company hired yet another 50 employees to handle the ever-increasing sales. There are now over 120 workers at two sites, with three shifts working around the clock to meet demand.
Tony Baltes, the company CEO, has said he expects orders to rise from 2,000 a day to 8,000 a day as Obama closes in on the nomination. Tigereye's internet retail division, democraticstuff.com, is also seeing gains from the protracted Democratic primary battle, with a four-fold increase in orders since the first of the year. That site sells items that promote both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, and includes political merchandise that is not available at the officially sanctioned stores of the two campaigns.